Why would we like to go to the Philippines? And why now given that the rush of attention is over, the situation has been somewhat stabilised, and the first response teams are returning already to their home base? As for any researcher, it is curiosity that drives us. Understanding what the needs of the affected population and of the humanitarian responders are. Which of the many available information and communication tools actually do support their work ? What are the requirements and constraints in practice that may prevent the optimal use of these tools? How do these tools and the specific humanitarian context impact sensemaking among decision makers and the decisions they make?

This is why we are planning a scientific mission to the Philippines. Because there is no surrogate for field research, as we will be talking to the people who actually are in the field dealing with the consequences of the disaster, and experience first hand the circumstances in which they have to work. We want to conduct research where it matters most. During our mission, we will monitor and report on the transition of the early response phase to recovery. And in particular, we will try to understand how more information and better tools may lead to a faster recovery and ultimately, an improved resilience.

Leave a Reply.

Authors

Bartel Van de Walle has worked on the virtuous circle of sensemaking and decisions in crisis management. For the past 20 years he has worked on information systems for better crisis response in the field and as an associate professor at Tilburg University.

Tina Comes develops systems and tools to support decision makers dealing with complexity and uncertainty. Her work as Associate Professor in ICT at the University of Agder aims at bridging the gap between technology and users.

Together, we are working on improving disaster resilience, since the ability to prepare for, manage and learn from risks and crises has become a prerequisite for sustainable growth in an increasingly complex, uncertain and dynamically evolving world.